Monday morning witnessed a renewed clash between agitated locals and the police at Marina Beach, now a battleground for the Jallikattu issue, as protesters swarmed in droves demanding a permanent solution and not a 'temporary' ordinance.
The Chennai city police had earlier requested the protesters to leave Marina Beach in a peaceful manner as "their purpose has been fully achieved" after the state government promulgated an ordinance on Saturday.
"It's wrong that ordinance will dissolve after six months, fact is that after introduction of ordinance, it will be introduced in assembly. It will be introduced and regularised, now itself the law is in act. Ordinance is for Jallikattu permanent solution. SC stayed Jallikattu so lawmakers got ordinance," the police said in a statement.
They further appealed to the protesters to end the agitation as their goal of conducting the sport had been achieved. However, the locals said that they needed time to discuss about the ordinance and demanded half day's time. Soon enough the police swarmed into the beach and began evicting the agitators forcefully, which resulted in clashes.
Several protestors also threatened the police, saying they will commit suicide at the beach if forcefully removed from the site.
Meanwhile, all routes leading to Marina Beach have been shut, and barricades have been put up by the police to prevent people from assembling there.
Yesterday, protesters in Alanganallur did not allow Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam to inaugurate the Alanganallur Jallikattu, which was later cancelled.
Talking to mediapersons, the Chief Minister said that even though Jallikattu was not held at Alanganallur, it was organised smoothly in many other places across the state.
The Bill to replace Sunday's ordinance passed by the Governor on Jallikattu, will be tabled in the state Assembly when the first Assembly session begins on January 23.